Claas ready to front up

WITH many farmers weighing up the pros and cons of direct heading canola versus windrowing it prior to harvest, German harvester manufacturer Claas believes it is on a winner with its Vario set of fronts.

WITH many farmers weighing up the pros and cons of direct heading canola versus windrowing it prior to harvest, German harvester manufacturer Claas believes it is on a winner with its Vario set of fronts.

Sales representative Adam Hayward said farmers had seen a real fit for the front as a tool to direct head canola.

One of the major features are the extendable cutterbars, which can brought out by up to 50cm.

Mr Hayward said this greatly assisted with the harvesting of canola, as canola plants could fluff out making it difficult to get an even cut and to feed all the seed into the front.

The extensions mean seeds can be deflected back into the front, rather than spilt.

Mr Hayward said, given windrowing costs of around $35-40 a hectare for contractors, farmers were increasingly open to direct heading.

“It’s a way for them to reduce costs, and free up time prior to harvest,” he said.

One of the major gripes with direct heading canola has been getting an even feed of the crop into the front, but Mr Hayward said the cutterbar was designed to feed the crop more evenly across the entire front, thus improving efficiency and an intake auger that has been improved to allow better crop uptake.